Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide: THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

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Last week I chose to read instead of listen and IT WAS SO MUCH BETTER !!! (It’s a loss of an audible credit but print is the way to go!). Shame on me for doubting you after all the minutes we’ve known each other!” I said, scolding myself. “Then again, if you’d handed me poison a moment earlier when I thought I was under arrest, I probably would have drunk it.”

Prepare for an education you'll never forget. A delightful mix of witty wordplay, breathtaking twists and genuine intrigue, Murder Your Employer will gain you admission into a wholly original world, cocooned within the most entertaining book about well-intentioned would-be murderers you'll ever read.Well, I assume there’s been some crime committed in the hotel and you’re talking to all the guests,” I said casually. “But yes, I would like to know what this is about.” With all of the detailing and overtly explaining how they all learned and planned their murders - the methods were smart, don't get me wrong - it became kind of repetitive. The book was way too long. The campus of this "Poison Ivy League" college-its location unknown to even those who study there-is where you might find yourself the practice target of a classmate...and where one's mandatory graduation thesis is getting away with the perfect murder of someone whose death will make the world a much better place to live. Cliff Iverson is our main character who, after failing to murder his despicable boss is whisked away by parties unknown to The McMasters Conservatory of the Applied Arts. We meet other failed murders students as Cliff's journal entries walk us through the day-to-day shenanigans as they all learn the skills necessary to murder their deserving target succeed at their desired task... There are some parts that were slow and dragged a bit, but overall this is a highly original tale that has widespread appeal. The ending is superb, so even if you get to some of the slower parts definitely power through and you'll be rewarded in the end.

I was constantly blown away by the cleverness of the narrator and the depth of comedic knowledge they presented the murderous education in. The first half is a slow-burn with focus on campus life in an idyllic setting of unknown location. In fact, the school’s location is so secret, students arrive blindfolded after being taken on quite a circuitous journey. Upon arrival, they don’t even know what country they are in. Eventually Caltech led me to MIT, which led me to aircraft manufacturer Woltan Industries, which led me to homicide. This was not entirely MIT’s fault. I don’t even blame Woltan that much, except for their choice of senior executives, one being my supervisor Merrill Fiedler, who needs to die. You see, once a student sets foot on campus, there are only two ways to depart: either as a fully accredited graduate or in an attractive urn.The two men apparently found this amusing, but then Dobson inquired in a more serious tone, “So tell me, Cliff: No regrets for what you did?” The results speak for themselves, and for me,” Fiedler replied with maddening self-assurance. “We’re number one in the region.” I handed Stedge his gun. “I was never going to shoot either of you,” I said, as if they might wish to understand me better. “There’s only one person in the world I want to kill, and I thought if I could get away from you, I might have a second chance.” I looked at their passive faces and mumbled, “You can’t understand.” The cast of characters is big, which I thought fit the setting very well. I had fun finding out everyone's motivations, and the side characters felt fleshed out as well as the main cast, with Doria definitely taking the number one spot in my heart (sorry Cliff).

It all went a bit downhill when the book moved on to following three students through three murders. The murders were hugely overplanned, in a way that sounds clever at first glance but entirely depended on a whole lot of people unknowingly doing things exactly as hoped, and detailed so lovingly that the book slowed to an absolute crawl. And also, they were three entirely unrelated murders! I wanted to see them woven together, or for something to bring the various characters and plots together (ideally in a way that would give them a bit more actual character work), but it was just three chopped up accounts of three unconvincingly elaborate plans to kill people, and by the end I will admit to skimming. With dry humor and an eye for hidden clues, Rupert Holmes imagines a secret Hogwarts-like school that teaches the fine art of pulling off the perfect (and perfectly deserved) murder. An utterly creative and deliciously diabolical read.' Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author PDF / EPUB File Name: Murder_Your_Employer_-_Rupert_Holmes.pdf, Murder_Your_Employer_-_Rupert_Holmes.epub Murder Your Employer is quite funny (and punny) and clever, and definitely satirical at times. The narrator’s voice was unlike any other writing style I’ve read, and I loved it. So I was sunk. If Dobson knew enough to show me those sunglasses, then he had me dead to rights. I wondered if they planned to arrest me here and now. I sure would have liked a last beer before going to prison. I doubted they had beer in the death house. Certainly not draft. Suddenly, life imprisonment and a job in the library sounded like a vacation in sunny Madrid.If sensible people can kill themselves because life no longer seems worth living, then I suppose a sensible person might kill someone who makes other people’s lives unlivable, or who risks the lives of others.”

Rupert Holmes, of "Piña Colada Song" fame, has given mystery lovers a real treat. Especially if you like mysteries that play with genre and format, which this very much does. Something I didn't know going in is that this is also historical fiction, taking place in the years just after the second world war, so it's more like Agatha Christie levels of technology here, which does affect the type of mysteries you get. We follow three characters as they make their way to the McMasters Conservatory, a school whose sole goal is to teach its students how to commit their perfect murder on an appropriate target. (I enjoyed that it is explained to us that certain types of murders are not allowed, only the killing of targets whos absence from the world would make it better is approved.) Stedge was a short, muscular man inadequately contained by the seams of his rayon suit. He sported an identical tie to the captain’s, indicating either that he was having an affair with Dobson’s unloving wife or that they’d bought their ties at the same store from a display labeled “None Over a Quarter.” The handle of a police revolver peeked from behind his left lapel where it nestled uneasily in an ill-fitting shoulder holster. Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over. The plot had me intrigued and invested the whole time. I loved the setting of the school, from classes to the assignments given to through the eyes of our main characters. Witty dialogue and banter helped the book to maintain a consistent flow instead of feeling stunted. A story with humor that's not overdone, details and "twists" were logical and keeps you on your toes along with characters that aren't the ordinary papier-mâché stereotypes. I turned to see Dobson with an identical .38 trained on me. Dobson explained, “The sergeant likes to make his empty gun a tempting prospect. Trying to steal an officer’s weapon is further evidence of guilt.”It feels wrong saying I was fascinated and pleasantly surprised by this book, when you only have the title to judge. After all, it is a guide on how to murder your employer. Disclaimer to all my colleagues: I promise it’s fiction! Edgar winner Holmes ( Swing) frames this cheeky 1950s-set crime novel as a self-study guide for those who can’t afford tuition to the McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts, a “finishing school for finishing people off” whose location is kept secret from even those enrolled. The book-within-a-book’s author, McMasters dean Harbinger Harrow, chronicles the experiences of three students to educate at-home pupils by example. Baltimore engineer Cliff Iverson, British hospital worker Gemma Lindley, and incognito Hollywood star Dulcie Mown may hail from different walks of life, but all are at McMasters for the same reason: to learn how to kill their sadistic employers without getting caught. Harbinger warns from the start that not all three students will succeed in their respective missions, fostering a sense of mystery surrounding who fails, why they fail, and how spectacularly. Though the book feels overlong, sapping some of its drive, and Holmes never fully commits to his conceit, his farcical plotting, idiosyncratic characters, and witty, stylish prose combine for a fun, frothy read. Fans of humorous historical fiction will be well entertained. Agent: Jennifer Joel, ICM Partners. (Feb.) Kudos, Mr. Holmes, for a unique book and perspective on things. I will have to see if there are other books in the same vein to do some comparisons. I thought this story was going to be amazing, but it just didn't work for me. It was messy, the writing didn't work for me, there were way too many unneccessary details and I felt no connection to the characters.